Everybody’s A Critic: How We’ve Stopped Enjoying Things

Negativity sells. Go on YouTube and you’ll see that some of the most viewed videos are people criticizing things. Whether it’s a movie, TV show, or whatever – you’ll most likely see a thumbnail of the subject of the video – often edited to exaggerate features – that talk about how it’s the worst. Or that a certain franchise is doomed. This is a general statement, but I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.

Preface

Let me use an example though. First, let me preface this by saying that yes, I am a huge Marvel fan. And yes, I have been disappointed with the MCU since Avengers: Endgame. However, as someone who loves this franchise, I look for positivity where I can. Not everything’s been bad and I like to think that there’s a lot more good than there’s been bad. For example, I think the latest Echo show is a welcomed return to form and could have fit in really well with the Defendersverse era of Marvel.

Negativity Sells?

However, when I went to YouTube, all I see is how Echo is “trash” and just “another failure”. And certainly, taste in things is subjective. Not everyone needs to like everything, but these videos do so well that I wonder if it’s just people jumping on the latest thing to hate on. Certainly, the MCU has always had its critics and while there’s a lot of criticism to be had since Endgame, I would have thought people would have welcomed Echo. And if they didn’t, maybe have a constructive video on why they disliked it? But, instead, it’s just people almost giddy over the idea of hating on something.

And this applies to any big project – Marvel, Star Wars, etc. Certainly, I’ve disliked a lot of things in the DCEU, but if people enjoy it, then let them enjoy it. Even movies that I’ve disliked, like the Justice League; I’ve tried to be bipartisan about.

What Happened?

Has views on YouTube and TikTok skewed our perception of criticism? Is it funnier to just put out a video happily hating on something as opposed to putting together your thoughts on why something didn’t work for you? Reviews should help people make a decision whether or not they want to see something. Reviews shouldn’t tell you how to feel about something, nor should it make you feel you are wrong if you do like something. In that way, you yourself are pushing a narrative.

Now, this isn’t to say I haven’t done similar things in the past. Call it a symptom of getting older, but the idea of absolutely ripping on something seems meanspirited and when it’s obvious that it’s just done to get likes and views, you lose credibility. Again, I’m not saying you have to like Echo or any other Marvel project (I personally didn’t like She-Hulk). You don’t have to like anything Star Wars-related (I’ve certainly not enjoyed the sequel trilogy). However, at what point are people actually disliking things and instead just using their platforms to dunk on whatever is popular for likes and views?

When Will We Like Things Again?

What are your thoughts? Have you seen a growing trend of negativity when it comes to reviewing projects? And will studio executives listen to this criticism or brush it off because they don’t take it seriously? If we don’t have a return to actual reviews, I do fear that studios will never take people’s thoughts into account because they’ll just think they’re trolls.